Expressing your individuality with ‘collections’.
I just love a good pile of “stuff!” Not just any old random stuff mind you. Rather, I thoroughly enjoy entering a person’s home and discovering carefully thought out displays of the dweller’s unique personality and interests through the creation of ‘collections’.
For me, the very best collections tell a story, such as one of my personal collections, shown in the top image. Simple perhaps, but each element in the collection holds sentimental value, full of rich memories.
Other groupings can be informational, telling a story about the surrounding area from which the items were collected. Such is the aim of the terrific grouping shown above, created by Stephen Poulakos for his Boxwood Cottage that pulls together elements from the Pacific Northwest and surrounding coastal community in which he lives and works.
Whether they are whimsical, informational, very personal or purely decorative — Here are some general guidelines that can help you to create a successful grouping of your favorite “stuff”:
- Display your best stuff and hide the rest.
- Use one large-scale item to anchor the grouping.
- Group by color to create a sense of unity and cohesion.
- Plants and flowers add instant life to your collection.
- Be a fearless editor! Subtract, and then subtract some more.
- Most important… Have fun!
To help get the creative juices flowing, below are a series of collections that run the gamut from folksy, tongue-in-cheek, to urban edgy. Perhaps some of these can act as jumping off points for you to start building your own collection masterpieces!
A Life Designed
(Photographs courtesy of Apartment Therapy, Stephen Poulakos, Architectural Digest and Bountiful Home Edmonds.)
